Playing For Keeps
by MoonKitii
Summary: [KakaSaku]It's a mission that left their lives hanging in the balance, one that none of them wanted to do, but knew they had to. It's a love that neither thought possible...
1. Chapter 1

The office was cluttered, with bingo books and mission reports scattered about. Medical books were dog-eared and bookmarked, signaling pages that had vital information on them. She'd been in the office countless times, but each return trip showed her something new. A new crack on the wall, a new book on a chair, a new mission to be carried out.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, her arms folded across her large chest. Her face had aged a little over the years, but still held the determined look it was known for.

Her eye scanning the group of shinobi in front of her, she began without preamble. "I have a mission for the six of you. It is a delicate, time-consuming mission. There is a significant possibility you won't come back alive, though I'd prefer it if you did."

Sakura continued to listen, no emotions crossing her face. She'd heard those words before, and, if she returned, would probably hear them again.

Shizune, standing beside the Hokage, handed each of the jounin a paper, outlining the mission. The paper was sparse, only a few words gracing the scroll.

Tsunade continued. "This is a classified mission. You're to tell no one about this, including your families and other ninjas of the village. Tomorrow at dawn you will depart from Konoha and head northeast, to the Lightning Country. You're assignment is to take out Lord Oshiro and collapse the foundation out from underneath his organization. He has been trafficking children and women as slaves, often kidnapping them from their homes in the middle of the night. Over the past year he has been able to amass a vast army of outcasts, missing-nins, and criminals, and his eyes have turned to Konoha recently, citing revenge as a motive. Our intel has been unable to determine what his motive is, but he has become an increasing threat since the fall of the Akatsuki 5 years ago."

The Hokage looked out the nearby window, her eyes scanning over the lands she protected and led. "He is very dangerous. His fingers reach into the political pies of many countries, and he has many allies within those circles. It's not common knowledge, but he's already taken out a great deal of Konoha ninja over the past year. This is why you must succeed at all costs."

The room was silent, until Naruto spoke up.

"And if we fail?" he asked.

The Gondaime closed her eyes, and set her elbows on the desk, her chin resting on top of her folded hands. "Konoha will fall. Our ninja are the key to the village, and if he continues as he has, taking them out so efficiently, then he will win."

Sakura was taken aback. She'd heard whisperings about Oshiro, it was hard not to when you worked so closely with the Hokage, but had he really become that strong?

Kakashi, who stood beside her, sighed, then rolled up his paper and stuffed it in a pocket. He'd only recently returned from another difficult mission, a solo one, and had barely escaped with his life. While he'd love to have time off to read the latest installment of the Icha Icha series, he knew that the trafficker would have to be taken out first.

After adding a few more details, Tsunade dismissed the six of them, giving them time to prepare. As they walked out, Sakura surveyed the group. Kakashi, her former sensei and friend; Naruto, who was like a brother to her; Shikamaru, lazy but brilliant; Neji, the prodigy; and Kiba and Akamaru, ready to take on anything that came their way. They would be her family and her companions until the end. And then there was she. Sakura Haruno, the talented medic kunoichi and possessor of super-human strength. The group had done missions together before, and with any luck, they'd do them again.

"So, how long do you think this will take?" asked Naruto. "I really don't want to stay away from Ichiraku for long." Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Will you ever grow up, Naruto?" he asked the blonde.

The man in question grinned and laughed. "Hell no! What's the fun in that? Growing up means that you have to be serious, and that means that you have to become boring, like old Kakashi here," he joked.

He earned a hurt look from Kakashi's direction. "I'm not THAT old," he said defensively. "34 is the new 20."

Naruto and Kiba laughed aloud, gasping for breath. "You think 34's young?" Kiba sputtered, attempting to contain himself.

Kakashi promptly ignored the guffawing idiots, and pulled Icha Icha from his vest, continuing towards his apartment. Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji walked with him. "34 isn't old, Kakashi-sensei. Age doesn't really mean anything. You are however old you feel," said Sakura.

_Then I must be ancient,_ thought Kakashi.

"Sakura, how many times have I told you not to call me sensei? I stopped being your teacher a long time ago," said the half-masked ninja.

She frowned, unable to come up with a response. It was true, he hadn't taught her in 8 years, but she'd never thought to drop the suffix. It was just as ingrained in her as adding the shishou suffix to the hokage's name.

No one said anything again until they reached Sakura's home. She lived alone these days, her parents having been killed during an attack on the village a few years back. She'd never sold the family home, but instead kept it and the memories as a reminder of the things she fought for.

She turned to the others, and said, "Well, I'll see you all at dawn. Sleep well." The others bid goodnight to her as she walked away, but she didn't reply. Her thoughts had trailed off to a time when, years ago, Kakashi had still been her sensei. As she unlocked her door, and stepped inside, her mind was pondering why she still called him that. Was it because that's what she'd first known him as? No, he hadn't even really taught her all that much. Maybe it was more that she admired him, and didn't think herself to be on a level as high as he.

Walking into her bedroom, she pulled a bag from underneath her bed and began to pack for the mission. Most of what she needed was already pre-packed, but a few essentials, such as civilian clothes, needed to be added.

Once completed, she began to strip, leaving a trail of clothes on the way to the bathroom. She turned on the shower, and set the water to scolding, knowing that it would probably be the last hot shower she got for awhile.

As she lathered her body in soap, Sakura took the time to think about the mission. They hadn't had any warning, so something must have happened. A threat, maybe? Or did the Hokage feel that things were simply becoming too risky, and wanted to take out Oshiro before he had the chance to do anything? Whatever the reason, if they failed, then Oshiro would come after Konoha. And what about Sasuke?

The last she'd heard, he was still alive, biding his time to kill Oshrio himself. Why? She wasn't sure, but she had the feeling that Oshiro had betrayed him. Big surprise there, she thought sarcastically.

Turning off the water, she stepped from the tub and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her body. She'd matured since she had first become a gennin and not in just knowledge and strength. Her body was curvier, and filled out on all the right spots. While she wasn't as busty as Ino, she still looked pretty good.

Sakura left the bathroom, picking up her trail of clothes and tossing them by the foot of her bed. She pulled underwear and a tank top from her dresser, and slipped them on.

Her eyelids began to get heavy, and her mind was becoming sluggish. Sliding beneath the sheets, she curled up in bed, snuggling into a pillow, and slept deeply, dead to the world.

*~*~*~*~*~ Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any affiliated items or characters ~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Jan 12, 2009 A/N: I know, I know, I promised I'd update a long time ago. What can I say? I'm lazy + busy; most definitely not a good combo. In any case, I've re-worked the chapter to fit more with the canon storyline, seeing as how Orochimaru hasn't been around in awhile and such. Some of it still won't quite jive with the actual manga, but that's too damn bad. I'm re-working the next chapter, then posting it and chapter three. I'll try and be more consistent. Just keep bugging me and I'll get to it at some point.**

**Edit: May 2011: I forgot I'd even written this story. Oops. I'm doing some editing then will be hopefully updating soon. Hooray me~**


	2. Chapter 2

The buzzing in the side of her ear woke her before the light had a chance to shine through the window. Turning onto her stomach, she reached across her bedside table and slapped the snooze button. _Just 5 more blissful moments of sleep, _she pleaded internally.

She hugged her pillow, trying to enjoy her last few minutes in her soft bed. The thick mattress gave comfortably beneath her lithe body; the blankets were warm and felt like a fluffy cocoon. The scent of it was familiar and comforting, and had it been any other day she'd have found an excuse to sleep another 15 minutes.

But, it wasn't to be. The alarm buzzed once again, snapping her out of her half-snoozing state.

"The good stuff never lasts," she moaned, rolling out of the bed.

Padding over to her dresser she picked up her clothes and began to change into them. Her mind was still wandering, and wondering about the forthcoming mission. There were so many unknown factors. Reconnaissance would take forever. Lightning Country didn't exactly have an open door policy when it came to sharing information.

Pulling on the last of her clothes, she sat on the edge of her bed and laced her boots. Her outfit wasn't terribly different than it had been when she'd been a chuunin. The low necked, form-fitting vest was the same sleeveless and maroon style she'd worn back then, only with some minor modifications in style, and she had taken to wearing a long-sleeved net shirt beneath. Her legs sported small khaki shorts, with a few hidden pockets, with the rest of her legs encased with common netting. The gloves she wore were a soft, buttery black leather that had been an 18th birthday gift from Tsunade, and her boots were similar. They may have been a pain to lace up, but they were soft, waterproof, and comfortable. And _damn_ if they weren't hot.

Her refrigerator wasn't exactly a grocery store, but she managed to rummage up a bagel and some cheese. It'd give her enough energy to get going, but it sure as hell wasn't steak and wine.

Tearing the bagel in half, she munched on it and leaned against the counter. _If all six of us are going on this mission, then stealth will be a little more difficult. Hell, even with a four man cell it's hard to stay undetected, especially in a situation as volatile as this. And Sasuke…_

She'd heard whisperings in the Hokage's tower from time to time; some of the ninja had come back from the northeast claiming to have seen or fought a man described as Sasuke, but there was no way to verify it. The missing-nin had never been forgotten; at least not in her mind. Sakura had always thought of him, but not in the way she had as a gennin. Then, it was a childish, romanticized idolization. Now, it was a curiosity, and even a bit of anger. His absence had changed everything. Their team had broken up; Kakashi had gone his own way after awhile, focusing on more solo A and S-ranked missions. Naruto was still his effervescent self, but sometimes, there was a kind of loss in his eyes. And her? She'd gotten over him, sure, but she still missed him. Sakura was no longer a naïve young girl. She was a jaded woman, now, and understood that even if he came back to Konoha, nothing would ever be the same. The country couldn't just _forgive _someone who'd turned their back on their village, just for personal gain.

She shook herself from the memories, and checked her watch. The sun would rise soon, and the mission would begin. Grabbing the few belongings she'd take along, she took one last glance around her apartment. Wishing it a fond farewell, she went through the door and locked it behind her.

Her head raised to the still dark sky, where she noted the dark clouds and pulled her hooded cloak around her, preparing for a dismal downpour. She neared the gates of the village and saw a few of the others standing there.

"Oi! Sakura-chan!" yelled Naruto.

Sakura sighed and made her way towards the boisterous boy. "Morning, Naruto. Morning, Neji," she replied.

Neji replied with a nod, his pale eyes scanning for the rest of the team, who appeared not long after Sakura.

On the horizon, the sun began to peak. The light continued to rise steadily, and by the time Kakashi arrived, it was already halfway up. Kakashi looked around, taking a quick head count. _All here,_ he thought.

"Good morning," he greeted as he walked up to them. "Everyone ready to go? It'll take us a little while to get to there. We should go ahead and leave."

Sakura nodded in agreement. Turning towards the village gates, she and the others began their walk out of the village. She waved goodbye to Kotetsu and Izumo, who were on guard at that particular entry. They gave her a mock salute and a smile. The two of them, who were often Tsunade's extra hands, had become like brothers to her over the years. Mostly because they were always around her and bugging her.

Kakashi gave a signal, and led the rest of the group, bounding from tree to tree, the mission in mind. Rain began to fall not long after, making the trek an even messier, more miserable one. The group stayed focused, making no sounds as they made their way through the dense forest and woodland areas. Nature itself was particularly quite that morning, despite feeling the need to pour on the group.

A few hours of mindless jumping and running later, Neji turned to the team leader. "Kakashi. Do you feel that?" the Hyuugi asked. The older man nodded, and gave the gesture for them to stop. "Byakugan!" he heard behind him as the Hyuuga prodigy activated his bloodline.

Neji scanned the area, and found a group of ninja on their way towards them.

"12 incoming," he said, "4 cells with 3 a piece. About 30 seconds away, 12 o'clock direction."

The others took their stances, preparing themselves for the oncoming attack. Moments later they caught sight of the ninja, and the headbands they donned, each graced a symbol not equated with any known village. Sakura slipped a kunai out of her holster and held it near her face. Naruto was right beside her, his actions not much different from hers.

"Be careful," Shikamaru said. "Just beat these guys so we can get on with our mission."

Kiba nodded in agreement, and began to form seals.

The foreign ninja came at them with full speed. Sakura blocked a hit with her readied kunai, pulled her arm back and shoved it towards her opponent, only to miss him by a hair. He came behind her and pulled her arm against him, holding her in a lock. "Stupid girl," the enemy muttered, "Think I don't know who you are? You're Tsunade's little bitch, a damn carbon copy. We know your team, your strengths and weaknesses. Don't think you can take us."

She smirked and thought to herself, _Is this man as much of an idiot as he seems_?

"Take this!"

The man turned around, shock evident on his face as Sakura came flying from behind, her fist ramming into his face. There was a satisfying crunch of bone and the 'poof' of her clone as she turned to face her next opponent. He stood in the ready stance, his hands forming seals.

"Piercing Death!" he yelled, a stream of high pitch noised erupting from his chest.

Sakura grunted, her hand covering her ears in a fruitless attempt to block out the brain crushing noise. The high pitch was just enough to make her ear drums rattle, and Sakura felt a vague wave of nausea pass through her.

From behind her, her first opponent lunged, screaming "Stupid bitch! Don't take me so lightly!"

Her fist swung around, hitting him squarely in the jaw. His body, breathless, went flying back towards a nearby tree. She had felt his ribs turn to splinters beneath her fist, and knew he wouldn't be getting up. With her attention back to the other man, she struggled to get up, the noise making it difficult. Her brain wanted to explode, and it protested as she removed her other hand from her ear and sprinted towards her current assailant.

"Shannaro!" she yelled, flinging a kunai at him, causing the foreign ninja to fault in his jutsu as he avoided the projectile. The noise stopped and she began a hand to hand fight with the man.

Kakashi had his own hands full at the time, taking on two other enemy fighters himself. One was currently coughing up blood, and the other was in midst of hand seals. Seeing it as an opportunity, Kakashi appeared behind the signing man, slitting his throat before the signs were finished.

Shikamaru and Naruto were working together, trapping four more of the ninja in Shikamaru's shadow bind technique, as Naruto carried out an assault on all four men. "Stop interrupting us, damn it! We have places to be!" the blonde yelled. With a quick roundhouse kick to one of the enemies, they knew they were in trouble. There was a 'poof' as Naruto's foot connected with the other ninja's face. "Shit!" Naruto yelled. Shikamaru quickly let go of his jutsu, stepping back to search for the men.

"Behind you!" Naruto yelled, pointing behind his friend.

Shikamaru turned quickly, barely in time to avoid a kunai to the face. It still had managed to nick him, but a scratch was to be expected on a mission. He quickly formed more seals to catch the man, choking him with his own shadow. The ninja dropped to the ground, lifeless. As he and Naruto began on the other three, Neji finished off his second, with his Gentle Fist technique.

Kiba had taken out his last one when he felt a pain in his gut. "What the fuck?" he asked, looking down. A crossbow arrow stuck out awkwardly from his abdomen, blood flowing from the wound. One of the ninja that had gotten away from Naruto and Shikamaru had struck him. Akamaru barked, and Kiba knew he was telling him to end it quickly. Kiba nodded, and began a double-attack with his furry partner. Still, it was taking too long. The blood was flowing, and fast. His vision had begun to get fuzzy, and Kiba knew that if the next attack didn't do it, he wouldn't be going home to his girlfriend.

They tag-teamed the enemy again, this time breaking his neck. Kiba smirked as his vision went, and he managed to whisper "Nice job, buddy," before falling to the ground.

Sakura wiped the blood away from her nose, watching her opponent take his last breath. She leaned down, and whispered as his life left him, "Just because you know what I can do, doesn't mean you can beat me."

She heard a shout from Naruto, and turned toward the racket. As she did, she saw Kiba, lying on the ground, bathing in his own blood.

_Shit, _she thought, _shit! _She was by his side in a minute, her fingers on his neck to find a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. The bolt from the crossbow was still lodged in his stomach, begging to be pulled out.

"Naruto," she said quietly, putting her hands near the wound.

"Yeah?" he asked, kneeling down beside her.

She put his hands around the base of the arrow, ignoring the others as they looked on. "When I tell you to, I need you to pull the arrow out at the same angle it went it. Do you understand? Any other way will needlessly damage even more of his internal organs."

The kyuubi container nodded and gripped tightly, swallowing hard while watching as Sakura's hands glow, beginning the mending process inside of Kiba. "Now!" she shouted, watching him pull the arrow from their friend. They heard the gurgling rip as the arrow was pulled from Kiba's abdomen. She placed her hands over the wound, sending out chakra feelers to find each damaged area and began to repair them.

Nearly 30 minutes later, Sakura had done rudimentary repair of most of the damage. It was all she could do for now; they'd have to get him back to the village and into surgery.

As she went to stand, she could feel her whole body shaking. Her arms were like lead, and her legs were like jelly. Sakura managed to haul her body up, and turned to the others.

"He's okay, for now. We need to get him back fast, to the hospital. He'll need surgery to repair the rest," she said. Kakashi came beside her, a hand on her shoulder. "Well done, Sakura-chan." She nodded, and frowned "Sorry, Kakashi," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow, asking "What for?"

She smiled. "I'm going to pass out," she said, her vision going black and her body collapsing, Kakashi catching her before she had a chance to hit the ground.

There were murmurs around her, and she could make out the sound of a fire crackling. Her eyes still felt heavy, like someone had attached weights to them. Even so, she opened them to slits, blinking away the fuzziness left behind. Sakura took a mental inventory of her body, mapping each bruise, cut and pain she felt. _Not too bad,_ she said to herself. _Just a few minor problems. Nothing I can't heal on my own._

Opening her eyes fully and clearing the sleep from them with her knuckles, she looked at the fire in front of her. Around it were Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Naruto. Neji and Kiba were nowhere in sight.

Kakashi tuned his head toward heard and smiled, his only visible eye closed. "Evening, Sakura. Feeling any better?" the copy-nin asked.

"Sakura-chan! You're awake!" Naruto shouted, running over and sitting beside her.

She managed to push herself up into a sitting position, running a hand down her face. She felt _disgusting_. Boy, did she need a bath. Her body was sore, and still weak from overusing her chakra on Kiba. _Kiba!_

Her face tilted up quickly, her eyes on Naruto's. "Kiba? Is he alright? Where is he?"

Naruto put his hand on his teammate's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. You did a great job on him. Neji took him back to Konoha to get him to Tsunade, then he'll rejoin us once he's sure Kiba is set. We'll rest until dawn, and then get back into the mission. Get some more rest, eh, Sakura-chan? You used up so much chakra on Kiba, we were worried about you."

Sakura gave a small smile and patted her friend's shoulder. "No worries, Naruto-kun. I know my limits. But I think you're right, I'll grab a little more rest."

Curling up in her sleeping bag, she dropped like a stone into sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Hm, forgive me for updating this, but just as in chapter 1, I have altered ch2 slightly to fit more with the canon manga storyline. Ch 3 is currently about halfway done and will be posted either later tonight or by tomorrow evening, for anyone who cares :D**

**Edit, May 2011: Refining the story a bit. Next chapter should be up soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi woke the next morning to the sound of whispers a few feet away. Blinking a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself into a sitting position and saw the source of the whispers. Neji, who'd returned a few hours previous, was talking quietly with Shikamaru, who'd pulled the last leg of night watch. They noticed him wake, and nodded their greeting. The silver haired ninja nodded back and stood, walking to sit beside the men at the campfire.

"All quiet, Shikamaru?" Kakashi asked. Shikamaru gave his usual bored face, and verbalized in a similar manner. "Yeah. Nothing worrisome. Neji was catching me up on Kiba's condition," the lazy ninja drawled.

Neji nodded again, and backtracked to fill Kakashi in. "He's stable now, but Tsunade-sama said that if Sakura hadn't done such solid work healing the wound so quickly, he may not have been that lucky" He broke his gaze from Kakashi's, and looked toward the horizon where the sun would soon rise. "Tsunade-sama also said to inform you she would be sending a replacement for him, and that they would be catching up with us today," he continued.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Did she happen to mention who she was sending?" he asked.

Neji gave what for him would be considered a sigh, and responded "Tenten. She should have already left Konoha. Shouldn't be long before she meets up with us."

Kakashi gave a knowing grin beneath his mask. It wasn't a hidden fact the Neji and the weapons mistress were interested in one another, and it also wasn't a secret that neither one of them was brave enough to act on it.

Shikamaru scoffed. "Women," he began, "are too troublesome."

A swift slap to his head caused him to mutter in pain, and Kakashi looked up to see Sakura standing behind Shikamaru, her hands on her hips. "What was that, Shika-kun?" she asked sweetly.

"Nothing," he muttered, slouching down.

The kunoichi smirked, and plopped down beside Kakashi. "Thought so," she replied. Looking at Neji, she continued "so Tsunade-shishou is sending Tenten then? Good, it'll be nice to have another girl around to balance all you male-types."

The copy-nin's gaze shifted to her, his visible eye rolling. Women really were troublesome, though he'd never be as stupid as Shikamaru to mention it while Sakura was around. Looking back toward to sky, he estimated there were only a few minutes left before the sun would break the horizon.

"Well," he said as he stood, "let's wake Naruto and get ready to move out. We lost time due to that battle yesterday, and we'll need to make up for it. There's about a days travel left until the inn outside of the village in Lightning where Oshiro is. We'll be staying there and masquerading in civilian clothes until we can figure out the best course of action for taking him out."

The team packed what hadn't already been put away and doused the fire along with any other signs that they had been there. Best not to leave evidence if they could help it.

Not an hour after beginning to travel, Tenten caught up with the group.

"Well, don't you look like a happy bunch," Tenten snickered as she fell in line to run beside Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi smiled and replied, "I'm perfectly fine. The boys are their usual stoic selves. Well, except Naruto." She looked towards the blonde ahead of them, who was in the process of stifling a yawn. "He's been complaining about not having enough time to make ramen for breakfast. Maybe if he wouldn't sleep right until it was time to leave then maybe there wouldn't be a problem."

Tenten snickered at Sakura's comment. She didn't work with the Team 7 members very often, but Naruto's love affair with ramen, second only to that of his love for Hinata, was well known in the village.

"I heard I missed a good battle yesterday. Kiba sends you his thanks," the weapons mistress commented. "He says he owes you. Something about marrying you..."

Sakura scoffed and said "If that's how he wants to repay me then he owes me nothing." At Tenten's giggle, Sakura herself smiled some. "He's a good guy," she continued, "but he's definitely not my type. And I'm pretty sure his girlfriend wouldn't appreciate it."

They continued onward for the remainder of the day, chatting when the mood struck but otherwise running in comfortable silence. It was something only a shinobi could understand; running free, with only the sounds of nature around you was as enjoyable and relaxing as anything, and was one of the few parts of a mission that could be considered enjoyable.

Sakura spent her time idly thinking of the silver-haired shinobi running in front of her. _Nice ass_, she thought, then blushed. Jesus, was she really thinking about her teacher that way? _Former teacher_, she reminded herself. Besides, there was no harm in looking. He was a shinobi, after all, and they tended to have attractive, taut bodies. How could a girl help herself? Sakura shook the thought from her mind, and let it wander back to their goal.

More than likely, they'd end up having to go undercover in whatever it was that Oshiro was doing. Gathering information from villagers, listening to the whispers that went on in the village. In cases like these, there was always information floating about, you just had to know where to find it.

Seeing Kakashi signal for the team to slow down, she began to reduce her speed before coming to a stop behind the group.

Kakashi turned to face them. "Up ahead is the inn that we'll be staying in. Take this time to change into your civilian clothes. We don't want to attract too much attention when we get there. Sakura, you will be splitting off along with Neji, Tenten and I, where we will be checking in as a group. Naruto, Shikamaru, the two of you will do the same. This will be less suspicious than the six of us all checking in together. Shikamaru, time it so that you don't get there until after we've settled in. The two of you will be checking in as friends traveling the country, looking for work. Neji, Tenten, you'll be a couple along with Sakura and I, who will play your respective siblings."

Neji's back stiffened a little at Kakashi's revelation, and Tenten's cheeks washed with a pale pink shade. Shikamaru groaned. "I'm getting stuck with him?" he complained. Kakashi smiled, the fabric of his mask shifting slightly. "Don't complain. I could have put you with the women," he pointed out.

Sighing, Shikamaru resigned himself to his fate.

"Oi! Kakashi! How come Sakura can't come with us?" Naruto asked. "She could pretend to be my girlfriend-" A resounding 'thwap' sounded as Sakura's fist made contact with Naruto's head, ending the conversation.

Once they had changed into their casual clothing, Kakashi's group headed toward the inn. The village itself was fairly quiet, those who were out in the streets busy shopping or running about. A few children played near a house, tossing a ball at one another and giggling as they did. At a surface glance, everything seemed normal, though Sakura was sure that they would get a look at the seedy side soon enough.

Kakashi pushed open the door to the inn, walking up to the front desk and booking a room with two beds. _That's right_, she though, _we're supposed to be couples. It would look strange if we had more beds. _He finished the transaction, and the innkeeper's wife, a short but soft lady by the name of Riko led them up to their rooms, smiling and informing them of meal times.

Once she left, Sakura surveyed the room. Two large beds, one near a window and one near a door were straight ahead, a small table sat in an alcove to the left, and just past it was door leading to what she assumed was the bathroom.

Kakashi motioned to the beds. "I figure that the girls share one, and the guys share the other. Wouldn't want you girls to have to deal too closely with us male-types," he mocked, using Sakura's phrase from earlier.

She smiled, plopping herself on the bed nearest the window. "I can deal with that," she responded. "Tenten and I have slept together before, so we're pretty comfortable with one another."

Neji and Kakashi both paused at her words, each with an image of the girls tangled in bed together running through their minds.

Neji cleared his throat as he pushed the enticing image from his mind. "I believe Shikamaru and Naruto have arrived," he stated, pointing out the window.

Sure enough, the final two of their group strolled towards the inn, heading to check in. Shikamaru nodded, signaling that he saw where they were. Naruto seemed to be oblivious, though no one was surprised.

His arms folded across his chest, Kakashi said "Neji, you and I will be heading down to the local bar tonight, see if we can start picking up some information. I get the feeling some of Oshiro's workers spend their free time there, and it might be a good way to pick up some information to give us a starting point. You two can head to some of the stores, see what you can find out from the other women in the area."

Tenten and Sakura nodded. They quickly grabbed their things and headed to the stores down the street, leaving the boys in the room.

Kakashi glanced at Neji. "So by slept together, do you think they mean...?" the copy-nin said. Neji shook his head "I doubt it," he replied, "but, then again..." Both men shook their heads, before heading to the hall to leave. On their way out, they passed Shikamaru and Naruto, who entered the room across the hall. Satisfied with knowing where the rest of the team would be, he said "Well, Neji, let's get to the bar then while the girls enjoy their shopping."

Shikamaru, who was unlocking the door to his own room, nodded slightly to indicate he had gotten the message. Naruto followed him into the room. Once he closed the door, he turned to Shikamaru. "So, they're out to gather information then?" he asked the lazy ninja. Shikamaru smiled, glad to see that the blonde had caught on.

"Yeah," he replied, "and now you and I are going to head down to the dining room and see if we can get some information off the innkeeper and his wife."

Naruto smiled. "I wonder if they have ramen for dinner!"

**A/N: Hello :D To be honest, I had forgotten I had written this story. Whoops :D But, I have free time and I have recently been dragged back into the Narutoverse, so I hope to get some updating done soon. I have done some minor revision to chapters 1 and 2, and chapter 3 is brand new! It's a bit of a boring one, but I wanted to get everything set up for the fun part :) I'm hoping to work on the next chapter ASAP, but I'm working a lot over the next 7 days, so we'll see.**


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